How do you approach/deal with a teacher who shouts to get the classes attention?

[ShoutyStyle]

I have a child who is displaying signs of emotional immaturity, neuro-diversity etc. They are in the process of being assessed/receiving EHCP. We are getting them to school but not in every lesson. Several teachers are very shouty and this destroys their confidence. They are not being shouted at - the class is, but from a sensory and emotional point of view they can’t stand it. SENCO/pastoral care are helping but as a parent would you raise any issues directly with the teachers to help them understand how their shouting is undermining all the work we are doing to get our child into school/lessons? I am obviously and clearly biased but could do with an unemotional response as to how I can help to resolve this. They actually went into school ok today but have come home very upset and now not wanting to go in tomorrow. An adult would not stand being shouted at in the workplace - why do children have to endure this? Please be kind as I am very upset and just want a happy child to go into school as best they can without being afraid of their teachers.

These teachers are aware of the issues but still allow this to happen

This feels like a very unfair. You have no idea what else is going on in the classroom to mean loud assertive voices are required.

I know when it's your own child suffering, it's easy to become a bit blinkered. The reality is probably the teacher trying their damn hardest to meet the needs of lots of children, with crap behaviour and then they get told not to use a loud voice. Students say I shout, I really don't, I am loud at times. What other techniques do you reccomend in a noisy room?

If you've taken no steps to dull the noise (earplugs or similar) it seems very unfair to start complaining to the teaching staff.

ArseInTheCoOpWindow, I find a decent wallop of my planner on the teachers desk works just as well. 👏

My colleague used to use a whistle. We always knew when he had a bad class next door. It sounded like Match of the day!

Honestly this begs belief

Yes the teacher shouted.

You are not teaching your child any resilience by this faux horror of an adult trying to get the kids to behave.

I'd just be glad they were teaching at all!!

Would ear defenders help?

Yeah, I’ve got an ASD Dd though. She crashed out of school due to a shouting teacher. It terrified her.

Shes now going to ND school where all the teachers talk really quietly deliberately. I’m not sure a terrified ASD child is in the best place to learn resilience in a mainstream school. Your post is not showing awareness of how ND kids function. And actually it was attitudes like this that caused my Dd with 9 GCSE’s to refuse to go to school anymore.

@ArseInTheCoOpWindow thank you. I was replying to @coxesorangepippin when I saw your post. My child refused to go into school today because of this teacher. @DinnaeFashYersel i am looking into earplugs/defenders to help them. @coxesorangepippin why should I be glad a teacher has taught at all? That’s what they are paid to do isn’t it? Perhaps they aren’t cut out to be a high school teacher in classes where there are ND children.

I think your post says it. Sometimes mainstream doesn't work.

Oh do bore off.

My Dc had a similar issue op and the senco was very hot on making teachers aware.

Unbelievable. Do you have any Idea how hard and thankless teaching is? Sounds like the teacher is doing fine and it's your precious poppet who isn't cut out for mainstream school, I'm afraid. And I've worked in many a shouty office!

I was a teacher for 25 years in secondary. I had no idea about this issue until Dd was at school. I know how hard it is to be a teacher. I never worked in a shouty office though. My teaching colleagues could talk at a reasonable level.

It is a thing. And needs to be recognised .Especially with girls. Even if you did work in a ‘shouty’ office it doesn’t mean you know anything about ASD

My DD is autistic and sensitive to noise. As well as using the 'in ear' defenders, she has a hall pass which allows her to step out of the classroom for a couple of minutes if she's feeling overwhelmed.
She doesn't need to ask permission, just holds the pass in her hand.
Sometimes a couple of minutes in the corridor is enough to allow her to regulate herself. If she's slipping into full on meltdown, she goes to sit in the Pastoral Care room until she's able to cope in class again.

Yes, my child has every pass they need to get out of confronting and overwhelming situations. I am fully aware his hard people work, not just teachers, to deal with wide ranging issues. I am very appreciative of what my children’s teachers do for them. This issue has come from a very horrible year 2 teacher who shouted and punished the whole class for a year regardless of who caused the issue. She retired at the end of that year and my child had been adversely affected ever since. It’s getting worse and us triggered by the shouting. My child has only just been able to tell me this via therapy sessions an a neuro-developmental assessment. That’s how badly it’s affected them and why they couldn’t tell me until now. Still think shouting is ok? I don’t.

My Dd had a pass too. But she was too scared to use it.

Unbelievable. Do you know how discriminatory your post is?

@ArseInTheCoOpWindow yes, we are finding this out too. I’m struggling to understand all of my child’s issues and why they don’t use a pass designed to protect from this. I’m told they are scared to first draw attention to themselves and secondly be shouted at and be the focus of attention. It’s heartbreaking. I’ve suggested taking my child out of school to educate at home and they have advised against it as they believe they can help and assist. A majority of teachers/her head of year/SENCO are amazing. We agree that bad behaviour needs to be punished but not anxiety related issues. I just wish a teacher who needed to shout at a class would think to ask the vulnerable ones to leave first. I’m sure they would gladly escape to safety! I just want my child to be safe and happy. To go into school without having a breakdown due to to her overwhelming anxiety and come home happy. How can any teacher think a complete meltdown due to shouting is an acceptable outcome for any child?

Not rtft but my son is like this. I'd raise with senco & ask for:
Her to raise it with particular teachers
An 'emergency hall pass' DS has one & it means he can leave the class if a teacher is shouting/ he feels overwhelmed.
Unfortunately in a big school there will always be occasional shouting

@ShoutyStyle my DD has recently moved into Yr7 at secondary and has struggled with shouty teachers, along with the noisy dining hall. We were recommended ear defenders but obviously she doesn't want to stand out amongst her peers.

A mental health practitioner she is seeing weekly for anxiety (the shouting teachers came up as one of her anxieties) recommended loop ear buds.

DD has had them 2-3 weeks and is happier at school with them. I can't explain how they work but she can hear the teacher talking, but the shouting / noise is reduced.

School have okayed them as a reasonable adjustment and none of her peers have noticed them in her ear.

www.loopearplugs.com/products/engage

How old is she?

My Dd was fine until she went into burnout at 14. But shouty teachers destroyed her completely.

Shes much better now and dying to go to her new school.

Most kids who have a time out pass don't use them.

They tend to be issued due to anxiety and it takes quite a lot of courage to get up and leave the lesson esp if you think the teacher is going to question you.

My school issued them pretty much on request but very few kids were prepared to use them.

You may need to discuss with your child a code they can use to leave the class - going to the loo if that is permitted or I have a meeting with Miss X or whatever.

@fishfingersandtoes thank you I know there will be.shouting and I’m trying to toughen DD up but it’s so difficult. I’ll take on board any suggestions/alternatives/coping strategies etc as I know she needs to toughen up. It’s just hard when she comes home so upset after all the hard work us/sendco/other teachers have put in only to have it destroyed by one teacher probably just having a bad day. The thing is, this teacher is fully aware as DD had a meeting with them with SENCO last term to explain her anxiety issues and this has still happened. That’s who I’m so frustrated as it’s knocked everything out of place.

I think it’s quite rare. I never encountered it before in 25 years of teaching. It’s very difficult to understand.

Don’t try and toughen her up, it makes it worse. It needs acknowledging. Is she selective mute?

@gingeristhenewblack43 thank you, I’ll look at those tonight for her. @ArseInTheCoOpWindow she is 12 and in year 8. @Octavia64 SENCO have just spotted this and are planning to going into lessons with her from tomorrow to observe as they are concerned about the shouting issue. They will
pull her out if needed. SENCO have been truly amazing to be fair. I doubt my child would be in school at all without their help and input. Bar today she is in almost every day and going to 4/5 lessons which is amazing. We are kept updated each week and I’m so grateful that she is being supported.

Our ND students often wear noise reducing headphones. I doubt you’d be told no if you suggested it. I’m going to raise my voice if I need quiet. A student interrupted me answering a question that would benefit the others yesterday and I raised my voice at him because it was really silly of him to randomly ask something at that point (no SEND according to the SENCO just has few manners and thinks it’s fine to say anything that occurs to him).